


The Seagull Saga

by Farosie



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Gen, Hyrule is Islands, Koholint, Magic girl, Mahou Shoujo, Pirates, ghost ship - Freeform, seafaring adventure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:55:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25465045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Farosie/pseuds/Farosie
Summary: “What’s the difference between Pirates and Knirates?”“Simple. Knirates serve the crown. Pirates serve themselves.”“Hey Aryll, would you rather be a Pirate…or a Knirate?”“NEITHER.” Link cut in with a stern glance down at Aryll before she could open her mouth.She glowered back. “Nobody asked YOU big brother!”
Kudos: 3





	The Seagull Saga

## — O N E —

* * *

# The Island of Runaway Seagulls & Inescapable Eagles

* * *

  


# ★ ★ ★

" **I** t was a trap."

"...a trap?"

"Yes...an ingenious strategy devised by the wise Captain Daphnes."

A collective round of gasps was heard, and from across the table a petite young girl leaned in, her shoulder-length straw blonde hair swaying gently to the movement of her shoulder. Her diminutive form came in stark contrast to the crew of burly men that circled the rest of the table, save for the short figure hooded in an azure blue cloak that stood at her side.

"And then...what happened?" breathed the young blonde.

The older lass sitting directly across smiled with the slightest downward tilt of her head, the light of the lantern catching her glasses and illuminating a red hue upon her face in the dim light of the tavern. She pushed her indigo hair behind her shoulder and adjusted the pot sitting atop her head very slightly as she spoke.

"Naturally...the pirates chased princess Zelda all _over_ the _King of Red Lions_ until finally—they _cornered_ her like a mouse in the Captain's Quarters!"

A collective gasp; across the table, the little blonde looked stricken, and her knuckles had turned white as she gripped the chipped wooden edge of the table; she cast the hooded figure beside her a nervous glance.

The lass with the indigo hair tilted her glasses, shifting her gaze between each pair of watching eyes. "...Princess Zelda had her back to the wall. The pirates were closing in...but then, just when things were looking dire..." the lass leaned forward, the pot swaying gently upon her head, "...the pirates _pounced_ to seize the Crystal Crown glistening atop her head—but at the very _instant_ their outstretched hands contacted her hair, something unexpected happened..."

There was little movement around the table as she spoke, and the participants were barely aware of the bustle in the rest of the tavern, even as it hummed in the back of their ears. Each time the creaky wooden door to the tavern swung open, the stench of salt water drifted in along with the distant call of seagulls, mingling with the scent of pickles and fried fish that hung in the air. Beneath a battered steering wheel hanging on the moldy wall, cool salt water fountained from the mouth of a skull as it's hollow eyes spied the activity brewing from upper to lower floor. A roar of laughter broke out around a pair of Gorons arm wrestling each other as they downed pints of fizzing Goronade and splashed the steins in each other's faces; Beside the large round table in the back where the lass told her story, a couple of Rito leaned by the bar, pruning debris from their wings as they too leaned closer to her table listening in; all immediate focus was on the indigo-haired lass as she spoke, and a lantern swung gently above her head shrouded in moths, reflecting flickering patterns upon the still faces of all whom stood listening.

The lass drummed her fingers upon the scuffed wood. "...with one touch, Zelda suddenly _dissipated_ into mist—and what's more, the instant the pirates _inhaled_ the mist, they dropped to the floor like flies!"

"...were they dead?!" gasped the blonde, leaning so far over the table as to lose her balance and smack her chin into it.

"...was the princess a ghost?" growled the man beside her.

"...naw that don't make sense!" another man grumbled, leaning a thick elbow into the table.

"...could she have warped out?"

"...or maybe they'd been hallucinating the entire time from eatin' too many silent shrooms!" a round of boisterous laughter shook the table.

The lass tapped her fingers on the table, waiting for the laughter to die down before she continued. "...none of the above," she stated finally, leaning back in her chair as the vase rocked delicately on her head to and fro. "...the mist induced them into a deep slumber. Though a couple of pirates covered their noses in time to avoid passing out, they realized too late they'd been chasing an _illusion._ They rushed for the doors—only to find themselves sealed in with a magic barrier!"

There was a scoff from the Rito listening by the bar, who finally sauntered over to join the table. "...not too bright, those pirates if they _all_ fell for that trick."

The two little figures in the hoods nudged each other, gazing with identical bright eyes up at the soft plumes on the Rito's folded wings.

"...true, but they _didn't_ all fall for it." the lass continued, adjusting the glasses upon her nose as another flicker of light caught them. "...but Captain Daphnes had foreseen that too. That's why he had Zelda cast not just one illusion of herself, but _nine_ throughout the ship. Furthermore..." She pushed a strand of hair from her eyes. "...the illusions were _especially_ convincing thanks to the _brilliant_ acting of Daphnes' Crew, which staged quite the fight protecting each illusion of Zelda as she made her escape!"

The little blonde nudged her hooded companion with a grin. "...aren't they just like I said?!" Her companion giggled.

"...but what of Ganon?!" came the grunt of one of the adjacent men, crossing his arms, "He wouldn't be so easy to trick!" There were nods of agreement around the table.

Beside the table, there was a growing line to use the lone restroom; a Gerudo paused to listen in as she joined the line, a scimitar gleaming at her hip.

The lass tilted her head with a smile. "Oh Ganon didn't fall for the trick...but he didn't need to. Daphnes cornered him with a more _personal_ illusion..." she leaned in suddenly, her voice dropping an octave, "...a vision of his surrogate parents, the witches kotake and koume!"

The little blonde gasped and nudged her companion. "...the evil twins!"

"Aye," grunted one of the men, shaking his head. "I suppose even pirates have hearts for _somebody._ "

"But...what of the missing painting?" came the falsetto tone of the man beside him, fidgeting with his napkin.

"And the summoned monsters?!"

The entire crew that had been surrounding the table began to chatter amongst themselves, until the lass sporting the vase suddenly smacked the wooden table so hard with her fist that the ceramic plates upon it jumped as if they were living creatures startled awake, and the surrounding crew was jolted into an abrupt silence.

"Would all of you stop interrupting! I'm getting to that." She adjusted the vase on her head; The little blonde bit her lip; The men surrounding the table shifted and crossed their arms.

"Now...as you've all guessed, _some_ of the pirates were far too clever for such a ruse. To make matters worse, they had an ace up their sleeve: in their possession were the all-important royal charms that they'd stolen from Daphnes' crew..." the lass smiled, the flame of the swinging lantern reflecting in her glasses, " _...Namulets."_

Instinctively, the group surrounding the table leaned in; the little blonde and her hooded companion exchanged keen grins; a couple of passing Zora paused and glanced their way.

The indigo-haired lass casually picked the sand from her fingernails. "...using their stolen _Namulets,_ tracing the real location of the Crystal Crown was child's play. But..."

It was quiet around the table. The Zoran couple had inched closer, gently swirling their drinks. A boisterous party of sailors a few tables over were stomping their feet, chorusing _The Ballad of The Wind Fish_ in Acapella in the background, causing the lanterns to sway overhead.

"...but what?" whispered the blonde.

The lass traced her finger along one of the faults in the wood. "...but when they stood before the door where Zelda had barricaded herself in with the Crystal Crown, they found that she'd sealed herself inside with a powerful barrier. Not only that but..." she picked up her napkin and wrapped it around her fingers, "...when they turned around, they found they'd been covertly surrounded by Daphnes' entire crew."

A cheer roared across the table like water flooding in from the tide; a pair of Gorons playing tug-o-war with a rock sirloin nearby spun around to see the fuss; the little blonde was bouncing lightly on her toes. "YESYESYESYESYESYES VICTOR—"

"—WRONG!" the lass cut in, silencing the table at once. She uncoiled the napkin and shook her head, the vase rocking gently. "...with their backs against the sealed door, know what the crafty pirates did?"

A waiter had come by the table and was dropping bowls of creamy seafood soup in front of the crew; even the waiter seemed to linger and listen in as he slowly set down the bowls.

The little blonde barely registered the creamy soup placed before her; she was leaning so hard on the table that the bits of lobster jiggled and bobbed in the liquid like capsized boats. "...distracted them with a scream to duck?!" she nudged her hooded companion. "That always works!"

"Or pretended to surrender?" one man grunted, raising the bowl to his mouth.

"Maybe they dodged aside as the crew charged at them so the sealed door would get barged down instead!"

The lass swirled a spoon in her soup. "...nope. Actually..." she grinned, raised the spoon to her mouth and licked it. "...they _yawned._ "

One of the men spat the lobster from his soup. "...they WHAT?!"

"They musta been blind!"

"...more like _arrogant_." one of the Rito brushed a feather to his chin.

The waiter was refilling the lass's drink at a snail's pace as he leaned over listening; she leaned back with a chuckle as the liquid slowly filled her glass. "Even with swords pointed at their necks, they leaned casually against the door like they were merely in line for ice cream at the beach and..." She snapped her fingers. "...using their _Namulets,_ warped instantly passed the barrier into the room."

"NO!" gasped the little blonde, clutching her companion.

"HA—HAA!" An unfamiliar voice suddenly bellowed at her back.

A duo of Gorons suddenly jostled their way up to the table, splashing some Goronade on the waiter along the way. One Goron stopped just behind the blonde, flaunting his rock sirloin over her head like a battle club. "...Proof that a magic barrier is POINTLESS!" He smacked the sirloin against his palm. "Rock barrier is much better!"

As the little blonde gazed up at the stone scales on his mighty arms, her hooded companion leaned in with a smile. "...and the crowd grows bigger!" she whispered, her voice soft as the foam on rippling waves along the shore.

"...Rock barrier wouldn't keep a guay out." The Rito drawled, crossing his wings.

The Goron suddenly smacked the rock sirloin against the table beside the little blonde; she flinched along with the bowls of soup. Her eyes were wide as the bowls, watching the Goron crack his knuckles above her head.

"...care to convince my FISTS of that?" he growled.

The Rito cocked his neck to one side. "...no need to be brutish."

"...yes and no need..." the indigo haired lass cut in curtly, "...to keep LISTENING if you don't care to hear the rest." The table went quiet at once, except for the Goron tearing into his meat, glaring at the Rito.

The lass drummed her fingers, watching the waiter place a heap of sizzling, roasted fish on the table. "...for the pirates, victory was in reach, only..." she grinned as a number of eager hands reached for the steaming fish. "...the moment they'd warped into the sealed off room—they _froze._ "

All hands paused before touching the fish; the spoon in the little blonde's hand slipped from her fingers and plunked into her soup. "Froze?!"

"Froze into popsicles?" The Goron chomped on the rock sirloin above the little blonde's head, dribbling pebbles into her hair.

"Musta been cold as Snowpeak in there!" one man gnawed his Sizzlefin Trout.

"No you fools, she means they saw somethin' real bone-chillin'!"

"Blimey! what did they see?"

"The princess dead?"

"Or the crown in pieces!"

The lass raised a brow. "...No, I mean they LITERALLY froze. They couldn't MOVE because Zelda had cast a spell on the _floor._ Anyone who stepped on it would be frozen to their spot. A pity for them since..." she raised her glass, watching the flame of the lantern refract on its surface, "...mere feet from them stood Zelda with her back turned, the Crystal Crown in taunting reach upon her head. From their frozen positions, they saw her slowly turn towards them—an agonizingly slow turn that seemed to last an eternity, and as her face caught the light and the crown glistened upon her head, her expression was—"

"Smug?" One man smirked, his teeth full of fish.

"Angry?" Another glared as his neighbor snatched the last piece of trout before he could.

"Sad?"

"—cold." The lass raised her glass to drink, but a moth circling the overhead lantern suddenly dropped into it; she frowned down at the floating wings. "Or so I hear."

The little blonde glanced up from slurping her soup. "Did she stick her tongue out?"

The man beside her slammed down his drink. "I woulda punched 'em right in the noggin."

The lass swirled the moth in her glass with a chuckle. "...She didn't waste her time. She glided past their frozen figures without so much as a word, slipped their _Namulets_ off their wrists and moved easily through the barrier she'd cast since it did not affect her, being the caster."

There were murmurs around the table; a lingering busboy stood holding a wooden tray of half-eaten dishes; the lass discarded her drink on the tray and clasped her hands. "...so you see, thanks to the brilliant strategizing of Daphnes and his crew, Ganon's gang of pirates were rounded up and caught once and for all."

"...that's so _cool..._ " The little blonde sighed like she were lounging in a hot spring, her flushed cheek melting into her elbow as she leaned across the rickety table.

The indigo-haired lass cast her a knowing smile.

Above her, the Goron crossed his rocky arms. "Well...they aren't called Hyrule's Royal Knirates for nothing!"

The blonde cracked open an eye and sat up. "Of COURSE not!" She puffed out her chest and mimicked his crossed arms.

"—HA—HA—HA—HAAAH!" The man beside her unleashed a hearty laugh as bits of Sizzlefin Trout spurted from his mouth, and he clapped the blonde affectionately over the head (she nearly fell over, but caught herself with a laugh.)

"...You really do idolize them Knirates, don't you little Aryll?"

She cracked a grin bright as the sun. "What's there not to like?" She leapt suddenly upon her chair like a cat, slammed one foot upon the wooden table and thrust her arms out like a pair of wings.

"...From the Gold Knirate, Sir Eagus, swift with his blade as a strike of lightning from Cyclos, deity of winds!" She plucked the lantern off its hook dangling from the ceiling, and lunged it about in the air. "And the Red Knirate, Sir Byrne, with his metal claw, striking down every foe in his line of sight!" The men guffawed and clapped with the familial affection of doting uncles; the Zoran couple which had been listening at a distance strolled over, their amused smiles on Aryll's theater play; even the quiet figure hooded in blue couldn't help giggling.

"...And the White Knirate, Sir Alfonzo, as kind to his allies as he is fierce upon his foes!" At this point, she was parading with the lantern across the rickety wooden table, carelessly stepping around candles, utensils and plates of soup, nearly toppling over them. "And the Green Kni—"

"HEY, ARYLL!" Aryll whirled in the direction she'd heard her name being called to find a familiar woman in her forties, hands on her hips and a bark in her face, poised like an angry cucco behind the bar, staring her down from the other end of the room. "Get off the table, yeh hear? I gotta serve food on that thing yer shoe is courting! And put the lantern down before yeh break it—don't think I won't make yeh pay for it just 'cause I know yer folks!"

"Oops, sorry Gill!" She replaced the lantern back on its hook and hopped down.

"Hey Gill, lighten up!" One of the men spouted back at her through fishy teeth waving a sizzlefin bone, but she fixed him with a vice glare that made him shrink like a mouse despite his superior size.

" **_I_ ** decide what's allowed in my tavern!" She barked. "Either get with it, or get out!" She turned her fierce gaze on the rest of the onlookers in the place that had gone quiet. "And that goes for all the rest of ye' folks in here too!" She rolled up her sleeves revealing her biceps, and turned fiercely on her heel to head back to the kitchens, and as she did so, everyone—including even the burliest Gorons and foreigners twice her size, stepped briskly out of her way.

Aryll watched her disappear into the kitchen and leaned in to whisper to the hooded figure beside her, "Hey, don't you think she'd make a great Knirate?" The hooded figure only giggled in response and tucked a strand of gleaming red hair back into her hood.

"...So, do I finish the story, or not?" The lass with the indigo hair sat unmoved upon her chair, pot poised on her head just the same.

"Yes, please, go on Sue!" Aryll leaned her elbows into the rickety table; the surrounding men shifted and murmured in agreement.

Sue-Belle adjusted the glasses upon her nose as another flicker of light caught them. "...once Ganon and his pirate crew were rounded up, all that was left was..." she leaned forward, her voice deepening. "...determining their... _punishment._ "

At this point, the Gerudo that'd been listening by the restroom finally sauntered over, a glass of Noble Pursuit in hand; Aryll gazed with eyes bright as the moon at the tall woman with the fiery red maine, fit stomach, golden scimitar gleaming at waist.

One man licked the boney head of a Mighty Carp before discarding it on his plate. "...Were they...beheaded?"

"Banished to the twilight realm maybe?" The man adjacent dunked his in a murky yellow sauce in the center of the table.

"...no." Sue watched the waiter set down an immense platter of roasted crab decorated with cherry tomatoes; As the eyes on the crab stared out at Aryll, she bit her lip and hasted her gaze back to Sue. "...In light of the fact that Captain Daphnes and Ganon were once close comrades, Daphnes wished to spare their lives, and enforced a merciful sentence."

There were grumbles of disagreement around the table, except from the Gerudo whom remained silent.

"Too soft!" One man tore at a crab leg with his teeth.

"Shoulda taken him out." Another ripped the crab's shell off its body.

"Emotions getting in the way of judgment!" A third cracked open a claw.

Sue watched the lantern sway overhead,"...in the end they were imprisoned inside an enchanted barrier at..." her eyes moved around the table; they paused from chewing their crabmeat; Sue leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper, " ...the _Forsaken Fortress."_

Murmurs and fidgets; the lantern overhead was swinging violently and the table was trembling from a group of Gorons at an adjacent table that were jumping at a Rito flapping his wings above their heads. Aryll bit her lip, watching a waiter duck under them down the stairs with a platter of ribs.

Sue steadied her vibrating plate with one hand. "...but before they were sent off, the pirates were given ONE final punishment."

The table had gone silent; the Gerudo sipped her Noble Pursuit; a few tables over, a group of rowdy sailors were competing at plunging knives into a whole roasted pig, which glared out at Aryll with an apple wedged in its mouth.

Sue tapped her fork to her chin. "The punishment was..." they all watched her reach over and fork a prawn, set it on her plate, slice off its beady-eyed head, nudge off the skin and legs, slide it around a crimson sauce, then finally drop it in her mouth, chew and swallow it. She glanced up with a raised brow. "...a _curse."_

"A curse?!" gasped Aryll, shoving a tomato into her mouth to avoid thinking about the beady eyes on the crab or the prawn. "What was it?"

Sue smiled, twirling the fork in her fingers—but then she released it with a frown and slightly adjusted the pot on her head. "Unfortunately, no one knows for sure. Seems like confidential information."

The whole table shook with disappointed groans and sighs.

"...but there are rumors," she added, "...that they were turned into..." her glasses glinted, _"...monsters."_

Suddenly, they heard a round of shouts break out from behind the table, and half a dozen mostly-eaten rib bones went flying overhead; one knocked right into the swinging lantern above the table, chipping a piece of glass from it that plunked right into Aryll's soup; another sailed right at the pot on Sue's head from behind; she shifted an inch to the side, allowing the rib bone to whiz by; instead it smacked one of the men in the face.

"HEY—WATCH IT!" the man hollered in the direction of the shouts; the gang of sailors seemed to be throwing things at the Rito flying overhead who now had a Goron attached to his leg, the two of which kept colliding into their table, knocking wedges of beef to the floor.

"...ANYWAY..." Sue cut in tartly, signalling for everyone to quiet back down, "...to this day, the pirates remain cursed and locked up at the Forsaken Fortress."

The Rito plucked some bits of rib meat from his feathers. "...I should hope so, it's hardly been a week since their confinement."

Sue drummed her fingers as the waiter placed down a pitcher dripping with ice. "Meanwhile their infamous ship, _The King of Blue Flames,_ has been abandoned, lost at sea but..."

"...but?" Aryll breathed, playing with the broken glass in her soup.

A couple of busboys were taking their jolly time removing the soup with the broken lantern shards; Meantime, the waiter set down an azure hydromelon slushie in front of Sue.

Sue picked up the pitcher and poured herself, watching the ice dunk the liquid like sunken treasure. "...but they say, the abandoned pirate ship has become..." She set the pitcher down and swirled the crystal-like cubes. "...a _ghost_ ship. It wanders the sea uninhabited, enveloped in a ghostly blue flame...awaiting the return of its captain..."

"...that's a load of garbage!" one Rito piped up. "That ship is long gone along with those nasty pirates, and it's about time too!" He stretched his wings. "Finally I can fly around the sky without worrying about cannons being shot at me for sport!"

"Are you daft?" Another Rito beside him piped in. "Ganon and his crew are _hardly_ the only pirates inhabiting the great sea. Why, just yesterday there was yet another case of a young girl being kidnapped!" He narrowed his eyes, glancing around the table. "...You all _have_ heard this new problem that's been cropping up as of late, young girls getting kidnapped across the great sea?"

There were whispers and murmurs circling again; Sue frowned, glancing over at Aryll and the hooded figure beside her, huddled together like sisters. Beside them, the men flexed their biceps and stepped in front of the girls like bodyguards. "...don't you worry lassies...I'd like to see 'em try!" They punched the air. "Who is it anyway?! Who's taken 'em?!"

The Rito paused. "...they say it's Gerudo pirates, drafting girls on board to join their pirate crew."

A moment of awkward silence hung as everyone stared at the lone Gerudo standing at the table with her drink.

A flash of indignation crossed her face. "Excuse me?! I'll have you know, not ALL us Gerudo are PIRATES!" She flicked her glass, turned abruptly on her heel and swaggered off to join a couple of other fellow Gerudo at the back of the tavern; Aryll stared as her golden heels clacked across the creaky wooden floorboards.

"...hmph," the Rito stared suspiciously at the Gerudo's back before turning back to the table. "Those Gerudo pirates have been acting up ever since Ganon's capture. I bet they want to build a fleet to break him out of the Forsaken Fortress!"

At once the table was swamped with shouts.

Aryll moaned and whispered to the hooded figure beside her. "...can we get back on topic? I want to hear more about the Knirates!" She cast Sue a pleading look.

Sue chuckled at her. She picked up a crab mallet and banged the table like a judge in court; the dishes bounced (along with the vase on Sue's head) and at once it quieted.

_"Enough_ with the conspiracies! We all know any new Pirates that rear their heads won't last long, especially with the newest Knirate ship scouting the open seas." She raised a brow. "I'm sure you've all heard its name by now..."

The table rippled with nods and fervent murmurs. A waiter placed down a platter of juicy colored fruit. Aryll and her hooded companion exchanged giddy grins as though fireworks were about to go off.

Sue raised her glass with a smile, the flame of the lantern shimmering on its surface. "...shall we toast? ...to _The Queen of White Wolves!"_

"...to _The Queen of White Wolves!_ " the group around the table chorused, holding up their drinks.

Aryll was clutching her friend's arm, eyes sparkling like the drinks around the table. "...Princess Zelda's ship! Right? Right?"

Sue chuckled at her, placing down her drink. "Right—Captain Daphnes was so impressed by his daughter's handiwork in the capture of Ganon and his crew that she was henceforth granted her own ship—as you know..." She reached over and forked a slice of hydromelon, watching the juice glimmer as it dripped. "...an extraordinary feat, since normally you're not eligible to captain your own crew unless you've graduated as a Knirate with high honors from _Naquaris!_ "

".... _Naquaris_..." The word left Aryll's lip in the midst of a sigh as deep as the ocean.

"—OH—HO!" The man beside her thumped her lightly on the head again, as melon juice trickled from his mouth. "You want to go to _Naquaris,_ little Aryll?"

"...are you kidding?!" Aryll bounced on her toes like a bunny. "Who wouldn't wanna go?!"

"But does _Naquaris_ really exist?" One of the Zoras shook his head fin. "I tell you...I've swam all across the Great Sea—I think I would've seen a giant castle floating on the water if it existed!"

"Perhaps it's concealed behind some kind of magic?"

"...you can't get into Naquaris," Sue added coolly, forking herself a wildberry,"...without a _Knirates'_ Crest." She held up the glistening berry like it were a ruby. "Not only does a Knirates' Crest grant you access to Naquaris, it also gives you special permissions to enter restricted zones, access private islands, and get VIP treatment at certain locations."

"...a Knirates' Crest...huh?" the Zora shifted on his hip.

Beside him, another Zora nudged his arm. "...why don't we apply for one?"

Sue sipped her drink, smiling at the couple like they'd just complimented her personally. "...if you're interested, they _do_ open applications every spring."

The taller Zora frowned. "...anyone can apply, sure, but getting approved?!"

There were grumbles around the table.

"I heard the exam takes place at a high drop above water?" A Goron shook his head.

"And even if you pass, there's only a limited number of Crests given out each year, so you might just get put on a waiting list!" One man groused, spitting a melon seed from his mouth.

"...besides if you accept the Crest, it's your duty to serve the crown." The Rito crossed his feathered arms. "Isn't it a burden?"

"A burden?!" Sue sat up straight as a knife. "...what greater honor could there be?! You're endowed a _Namulet_ straight from the Oracle Nayru herself as you sail all across the Great Sea, taking on missions of the highest grade to protect the peace of the kingdom!" Her glasses flashed as she shifted forward in her seat. "...consider this. Just yesterday when the _Queen of White Wolves_ docked on Greatfish Isle after nabbing the pirates that'd been ransacking the Star Belt Archipelago, know what kind of reception they got?" She grinned, sliced her piece of melon into the shape of a star and held it up. "...a parade, cheering crowds, gifts of honor, free lodging at the best inns..." She showcased the fruity star around the table like a medal. "...as they strolled in the streets, admirers gathered just to watch them give demonstrations of their skill, spread their words of wisdom and—"

"—sell their autographs for outrageous prices?" came the sudden drawl of a young male voice from somewhere behind the group huddled around the table. They all turned to catch sight of a short, thin, blond young lad clad in green observing their group from a foot or two away.

Aryll flinched at the sound of his voice; she yanked her hood lower and ducked under the table as though a bomb were about to go off.

One of the men nudged his neighbor as he chewed a hyoi pear and whispered "Hey, how long has he been standing there?"

Sue stared in his direction with a pursed lip; the melon plopped from her fork to the plate.

The young lad grinned, twirling a finger around his hat. "...Or do they charge the crowd to watch and 'oooooh' while they pose, instead?" He strode towards the table; the surrounding party moved to allow him a spot in the circle. "...Since I hear the _Knirates_ like their wallets about as much as their own reflections."

Sue placed her fork down and drummed her fingers against the wood. "...nice to see you too, cousin. I see one of us hasn't changed in the past year."

He chuckled, flipping aside his hat. "...Can't argue with that." He nodded at her hair. "You've still got that pot sitting on your head after all."

She gave him a tart look. "And you're still wearing that pointy hat, Link."

"...and, _you're_ still giving free publicity to those _Knirates._ Did you bring their autographs this year to auction off to the morons willing to pay the highest price?"

She picked up her knife and sliced off a piece of her fruit star. "...Your dismissive attitude is as annoying as ever. _If_ you'd been listening _earlier,_ you'd know _why_ they deserve the attention, considering their latest triumph against—"

"—the pirates aboard the _King of Blue Flames,_ I KNOW." Link rolled his eyes and tapped a finger to his ear. "You're not the only traveller on the island that can't shut up about it—my ears have been bleeding from the nonstop gossip all week!" He crossed his arms. "... _How_ long have you been in here gushing on about it already...an hour?"

She fixed him with a look frostier than her slushie as she bit into her melon. "...It's hardly been twenty minutes." She pointed the knife at him. "...and either way, you could show a little more interest in current events—This is the hottest topic across Hyrule's Grand Archipelago right now, for Nayru's sake!"

"Uh- _huh_ ." He leaned his hip to one side. "And, remind me, are _we_ in Hyrule's Grand Archipelago?"

Her brow twitched. "...know what, Link? How about keeping those smartass comments to yourself." He snorted; she narrowed her eyes. "...and besides, you might act like you don't care, but I know you're interested. Why else would you be here listening in?"

He grinned up at the lantern swaying overhead. "...oh, I came to tell you all a _much_ better story..." His lips tugged into a smirk as he stepped his way around the table. "A story...about a little girl." The wooden floorboards creaked beneath the leisurely pace of his shoes. "...blonde. Blue eyes, like mine. About...half a foot shorter than me..."

Aryll was sweating beneath the table; she crawled to the end furthest from Link's creaking boots, and began to circle the table opposite him, careful to keep her head ducked low.

"...a clumsy, reckless _disobedient_ little brat that can't stay put..."

Now the little blonde had pulled out a pouch and was slipping blue rupees to the figures around the table as she crept passed them.

Link stopped and fixed the surrounding group a hard stare. "...has anyone _seen_...a girl like that?"

"...sorry." One of them grunted, slipping the rupee into his pocket.

"...can't help you." The Zora tucked the rupee between his fins.

"...have you tried searching the festival square?" The Rito carefully slid the yellow rupee between his feathers. "There's a huge gathering for the pre-festival fireworks show. High chance she'd be there."

Link raised a brow at them, then flicked his gaze to the lass with the indigo hair. "...and you?"

She raised a brow back. "...what're you gonna do when you find her?"

He stroked his sideburns. "...that's _my_ business."

Sue scoffed. "It's the first night of the _Festival,_ Link. Why don't you cut her some slack?"

He leaned into the table, smiling. "...that's _funny._ You speak almost as though you know where she is!"

Aryll gulped beneath the table.

"...oh and..." he pinned his gaze on the small figure in the blue hood that'd been whispering with Aryll earlier; she flinched and glanced away as he stepped in close. "...I forget to mention..." He stopped a foot from her hooded face and leaned in with a grin. "...someone I know is also looking for the girl's runaway _friend? Apparently_ she gave her bodyguards the _slip._ "

The figure bit her lip, pulling her hood down lower to shield herself from his prying gaze.

Aryll had crawled over to Sue beneath the table and was tugging on her leg. _Pretty please make him leave!_

Sue fixed Link with a stare sharp as the knives on the table. "...I haven't seen any _'little brats'_ matching your description."

Link matched her piercing stare; Aryll held her breath like she were watching sharks circle overhead.

At last, he released an emphatic sigh and swiveled casually towards the door. "...I guess she's _not_ here."

As his steps receded, the blonde finally exhaled.

"...just one more thing..." he stopped. "...Sue. Forgot to give this to you." He spun around and tossed something at her; she caught it with one hand, keeping the vase steady on her head.

A small cardboard box greeted her eye, with corners smushed in and sides battered and greasy like it'd been pulled from a pile of trash. Below the table, Aryll had crawled in close and bent her head over the mystery parcel in Sue's lap, like a puppy sniffing out a treat. What had brother gifted Sue?

Sue held up the ugly, beaten box with a scoff. "...you call this a _gift?"_

He raised a brow. "...Believe it or not, the _'gift'_ part is on the inside?"

She rolled her eyes and ripped off the lid.

The moment the box was open, Aryll found herself peering straight into two beady crab eyes, with two spiky blue pincers snapping an inch from her nose; she bolted up with a scream.

"EEEEEEP—"

Before she knew what was happening, she found herself being lifted and flung over a shoulder—as soon as she saw the green pointed hat dangling beside her arms, she knew who it was, and groaned.

"...dummy." Link snorted. "...thought you could fool _me?_ I knew you were under the table the whole time." He shuffled swiftly towards the door carrying his live quarry.

Aryll was shrieking and pounding at his back like he were about to feed her to a hungry gyorg, her legs thrashing in the air. "Put me down! Put me down!"

He narrowed his eyes. "...you are in SO much trouble Ary! How many times have I told you not to come in here!" He gave her a jolt. _"I'm_ gonna make sure you get grounded for at least the next three mo—OW!" He hissed. "—OW! STOP—STOP IT ARY!"

Aryll was yanking on his hair, kneeing his stomach repeatedly and digging her palm into his neck—finally he dropped her, but the moment she was released to the floor, she scampered away at lightning speed, darting through the throngs of strangers swarming the tavern.

Link spun around, his eyes flashing. "Get BACK here Ary!" He bolted after her like a cat chasing a hare as she ducked under the wings of rito, under the fists of Gorons and blades of Gerudo, straight through tables, between couples about to kiss, knocking over chairs, spilling drinks and trays of food onto passerbyers.

"HELP!" Aryll screamed out in the tavern, dodging behind a party of Hylians dressed in flashy animal costumes, "HELP HE WANTS TO KIDNAP ME! HE'S A PIRATE!"

Link's eyes darkened. "...ARY!"

They were catching a lot of attention now in the tavern; Link glanced around, noticing the whispers and stares. He narrowed his eyes at Aryll, prowling steadily towards her as she backed away beneath the sea of watching eyes. Before anyone could blink, he lunged to seize her and bolt from the tavern—

—But two burly Gorons blocked his path; they glared down at him. "...HEY. You bothering this little lassie here?"

"You leave her alone."

Link glared up at them. "I'm not kidnapping her. She's my _sister."_

The Gorons looked at each other and glanced over at Aryll; she yelped and ducked lower. They scowled back at Link. "...doesn't seem that way to me."

"Nice try," the other Goron leaned into his face. "You take us to be fools?"

"...It's the truth." He growled, but the Gorons didn't budge. He glared over at Aryll; behind her, the animal masks were giving him the stink-eye.

He spun towards Sue. "...back me up! Tell them Sue!"

Sue raised a brow at him. "...would a brother hunt down his sister and drag her around on a leash all day, even during the auspicious _Festival of the Wind Fish?_ Doesn't seem likely."

There were murmurs of agreement around the tavern; Link glowered at Sue. _Traitor!_

Aryll scampered over to Sue and ducked behind her, sticking out her tongue.

Link darted passed the Gorons but a trio of Gerudo unsheathed three scimitars in his face.

"....we _suggest_ you leave the little vai be...young voe."

Though they towered at twice his height, Link glared up unfazed. "...and _I_ suggest you MOVE."

They stood glaring at one another like wolves from different packs.

Sue sighed, sensing a battle would erupt if she didn't intervene. "...he's no pirate," she admitted finally, "...he's just my..." she quirked a brow at him, "... _extremely_ ill-tempered cousin. Forgive him for being fussy, he's not worth dicing up, trust me."

As the Gerudo withdrew their blades, Link whirled on his cousin. "... _ill_ -tempered?"

Sue grinned. "...you're welcome."

He pursed his lip and strolled over to the table, eying Aryll like a hawk; Aryll bit her lip inched closer to her cousin. "...Sue...!"

"...don't worry Ary," Sue chuckled, "...Link just got here. He hasn't consumed his daily quota of gourmet meat yet, so he's in no hurry to leave..." she tilted her head, arching her brow upwards, "...right cousin?"

Before Link could snark a retort, a man with an eye-patch at an adjacent table shouted "CHEATER!" at his companion and flung his arm across the table, smashing a whole platter of lobster halfway across the tavern; the projectile lobster hit a waiter in the face, who tumbled backwards and dropped his tray of scalding soup onto the unfortunate lad behind him—which happened to be Link.

Link dodged aside, but droplets of the scorching liquid still splattered his arms as the bowls smashed the floor; he winced down at the molten soup that lay sizzling where he'd just been standing, and spun back towards his cousin. "...of all places Sue..." He glowered at her, licking the soup from his arms. "...you just _have_ to come HERE to tell your stories!"

Sue crossed her arms. "...it's _tradition._ Gill is practically family!"

As if on cue, a knife suddenly went sailing passed her shoulder straight at Link's face—he caught the gleaming tip of it an inch from his nose.

Link held up the knife. "... _this_ is the _rowdiest_ joint on the island! Practically EVERY foreigner with a double-edged blade from across the Great Sea ports outside and stops in here to gorge themselves—you never know who might walk in at any second!"

"...Exactly!" Aryll breathed, her eyes bright as the stars outside; Link frowned at her.

Sue raised a brow. "...that's the _point_ Link. Strange travelers from strange lands... It's the perfect ambience to tell overseas tales."

The door to the tavern swung open as she spoke, and in burst a man with a backpack covered in colored paper lanterns shaped like whales that barely fit through the door. "...WISH festival lanterns! Get yourself a SPECTACULAR WISH Festival lantern at half price!"

A throng of idling foreigners in the tavern jostled one another to crowd the man.

"HEY—YOU!" Gill snarled at the newcomer from across the tavern. "IF YER NOT ORDERING FOOD, THEN SCRAM! NO STEALING MY CUSTOMERS!"

He bolted out at once.

Link scowled at the swinging door. "...it's even _worse_ than usual now with tourists pouring in for WISH Festival! What're you going to do if some rowdy gang of drunk pirates comes in and starts wreaking havoc?"

Sue raised a brow. "...have you even _met_ Gill? If a gang of pirates makes trouble in here, it's the _pirates_ I wouldn't want to be."

Gill was barking in the background. "...BREAK ANYTHING AND I'LL BE SERVING YER HEAD ON A PLATTER TO THE NEXT CUSTOMER..."

They turned to stare as the woman in question wrung the neck of the man with the eye-patch who'd flung the lobster.

Link scoffed. "...right, because _anyone_ is safe with _Gillzilla_ around!"

Sue chuckled. "...don't let Gill hear you say that." She leaned forward, her glasses glinting. "Besides...I know you like it in here. I used to see _you_ in here more than any of _us!_ "

Link leaned over the empty chair where Aryll'd been sitting earlier. "... _I'm_ not the one in danger of getting kidnapped!" He narrowed his eye at Aryll. "...you expect me to let _her_ run around by herself with this latest rumor going around?" He glanced at the trio of Gerudo that'd blocked his path earlier. "...How do I know she's safe?"

Sue crossed her arms. "...because _I'm_ here."

"You?" Links brows shot off his face. "You're as likely to get kidnapped as her! In fact...I'd be daft to leave _either_ of you in here—you're _both_ defenseless!"

Sue glared at him. "...sorry? I didn't quite hear you. WHAT did you just call me?"

His lip tugged into a smirk; seating himself in Aryll's chair, the table creaked beneath his elbows as he leaned in and deepened his voice. "...DEFENSELESS." His eye flicked to the vase. "Unless that pot on your head has got a canon hidden inside."

Sue was quiet for a moment.

In that moment, one of the men at the table cleared his throat. "Y'know lad we ain't chopped liver!" He pounded his fists. "Why, if anyone tried to mess with one of the little ladies here, we'd—"

"—all due respect, Kane" Sue jabbed, "I can take care of myself. In fact..." She stood up suddenly (as Aryll marveled at how the pot stayed perfectly situated upon her head) and placed her hands at her back, as if she were some kind of dignitary at a high profile meeting. "...there's an announcement I'd like to make—though I'd been planning to hold off on mentioning this a _bit_ longer, but..."

Sue smiled like she were about to announce she'd won the lottery.

"...guess what I got in the mail last week."

She placed something on the table; as it shimmered beneath the light, Aryll unleashed a gasp like she were staring at a ghost.

Before her was a familiar emblem she'd only ever glimpsed on royal banners, one she'd hardly _dreamed_ of beholding in person : three interlocking moons fused with talons and wings emblazoned in gold, accented by a sapphire in each moon that sparkled like the sea. It glistened with a sense of nobility that made Aryll's heart stop.

At once whispers immersed the table.

"...is that...?"

"...it couldn't be!"

"...is it _authentic?"_

"...I've never seen one up close!"

The gold flashed in Link's eyes as they dilated open like full moons.

"S-sue..." Aryll quivered, finally finding her voice. "...I-I..is that a...?"

Link stared in silence from it, back to Sue.

Sue raised a brow. "... _jealous_ , cousin?"

He pursed his lip. "...you're _kidding,_ right?"

Sue picked the emblem back up and held it up to the light. "...You're looking at an authentic _Knirates'_ Crest." The whispers intensified around her; she beamed. "...my application was accepted. Come the end of the Festival, guess who's going to _Naquaris?_ "

Aryll's gaze transfixed itself on her cousin; suddenly Sue seemed taller, her hair seemed sleeker, her shoulders seemed broader, and her eyes seemed to sparkle with a vibrancy Aryll'd never seen in them before. A surge of pride shook Aryll's legs, and she flung her arms around her cousin's neck. "—a Knirate, Sue! You're—you're gonna be a real Knirate!" her voice quivered like a ringing bell.

Instantly whoops and cheers exploded across the table like fireworks.

"—To think—Our Miss Sue—A Royal Knirate!"

"...incredible..." the Zora murmured staring at her, "...you've earned _my_ respect!"

Another man laughed and twirled his mustache. _"I'm_ not surprised! Why, they'd be mad _not_ to notice the talents of Our Miss Sue!"

"Before you know it, she'll be captaining her own ship!"

"...a toast to Miss Sue!" one man held up his foaming drink; the others followed suit.

"CHEERS!"

"...don't forget about us little people..." one man sobbed despite his ironic height, "...once you're famous Miss Sue!"

In the midst of the hubbub, Link let out a soft snort—it was nearly inaudible, but Sue caught it nonetheless; she turned on him with a stare sharp as a fishing harpoon.

"Something you want to say, Link?"

"Of course not," he sneered, "after all, praise be to the supremacy of Hyrule's Royal Knirates." He gave an emphatic bow. _"Congratulations."_

"RATFACE!"Aryll stuck her tongue out. "Ignore him, Sue!"

"No, it's okay Ary." Sue replied coolly, "I expected this kind of attitude from him. Besides," she tossed up his cruddy cardboard box with a scoff, "He only acts that way because he's jealous."

"Oh, _definitely."_ he drawled. "Farore knows all I want to do is prance around a ship all day with a magic sword and an ego too big for my brain."

Sue rolled her eyes and flicked her gaze over to Aryll. "...well at least _one_ of my cousins has good taste."

Aryll was staring so closely at the Crest, her nose was almost touching it. "...Sue..." she quivered, her voice almost a whisper, "...can I...hold it?"

Sue smiled. "...knock yourself out."

As Aryll picked up the crest, rolled it between her fingers and felt the grand weight of it despite its compact size, Link frowned. "...Oy Ary...I could find you something _way_ better than that gaudy piece of scrap junk."

Sue raised a brow, holding up his gift from earlier—the live crab snapping its pincers. "...I don't think _she_ shares your fiendish tastes, Link."

He quirked a brow. "...you sure?" He picked up a half-eaten fish off Aryll's plate, dangling it onto his tongue as one would drop a mouse by the tail into the open jaws of a wolf.

Aryll glowered at him. "Don't steal my food!"

Sue scrunched her nose. "...could you not eat like a savage Link?"

"Sure..." he licked his fingers. "...right after you stop wearing those abnormal accessories." He pointed a fishy finger at the vase on her head. "What're you planning to do about _that_ on your so-called missions?"

"Nothing." She flicked the vase lightly. "It's coming with me."

He snorted again. "You're gonna fight pirates with that pot on your head?" He reached for another fish on Aryll's plate. "Good luck with—"

_Clang._

The plate was suddenly knocked off the table by the pincers of a familiar blue crab which came crashing into his dish from the side; Link had just been reaching for a tender piece of hearty salmon when his fingers instead caught the razor-sharp pincers on the crab as it capsized the remaining fish from Aryll's plate—and denied him the cravings of his stomach.

A series of whoops broke across the table directed at Sue, whom was balancing with one foot on the rickety chair while her other foot was bent so far upwards it nearly touched the pot on her head; meantime, she dusted the crab residue from her hands as the pot remained steady all the while.

Aryll gasped up at her like she were a dolphin performing a first-class trick. "...you're as bendy as a ribbon Sue!"

Sue-Belle carefully lowered her leg and settled back in her chair, the vase barely moving a centimeter as she did. She quirked a brow at her cousin. "...it's called _balance_ training Link, it builds _discipline._ Something you're lacking in _sorely."_

Link glared down at the salmon sacrificed to the floor as if the fish had done him a great crime by escaping his appetite.

"...I lack.. _.discipline,_ you said?" His glower shifted slowly to Sue. "Well as someone of _inferior_ discipline, allow me to ask you this..."

He stood up, casually tossing the crab with its wriggling legs and snapping claws with one hand like it were merely a rice ball; Meantime with his other hand, he leaned over and nabbed a sizzling long bone rib off a passing tray with a gesture so smooth, the waiter didn't even notice; As he tore into the juicy red meat with his teeth, his other hand flung the crab casually over his shoulder; It plunked into a passing bowl of boiling soup.

Aryll glowered at his lazy display of talent. _"...show off..."_ she whispered to her hooded companion.

Sue was tapping her fingers, waiting for him to finish parading his artful gorging.

Link chuckled as he leaned over the back of Aryll's chair, taking his sweet time ripping at the meat, as if he relished forcing them to watch him feast as a means of making them wait. Just as he tore the last morsels of meat off the long white bone, his free hand reached over and pilfered a snail off a passing seafood platter; he smirked at Sue as he switched from gnawing the rib bone in one hand to loudly slurping the snail from its shell in the other.

Sue rolled her eyes. She was about to snap at him to grow some manners, when suddenly his hand moved—

_Fwoosh._

—and flung the shell at hyperspeed at the vase on her head; the motion was so swift that had Sue blinked, she would've found the shattered pieces of the vase all over the floor. However—her unblinking eyes caught the shell centimeters before it would've hit home. Just as her fingers closed over it however, she suddenly perceived something else pressing into the side of the pot—and staring out the corner of her eye, found Link standing directly above her, holding the long rib bone against the pot, ready to smash it across the bar.

The corners of his mouth tugged upwards as he finally drawled, "...how is your superior discipline gonna save the vase _now?"_

Still feeling the force of the shell she'd barely just caught pressed against her palm, she moved her other hand up to grasp the bone firmly, and—standing up carefully such that the vase barely moved—turned towards him to unleash the full brunt of her glare.

"Break the pot and I break YOU." A gleam of light reflected from her glasses onto the bone as she spoke.

He snorted and withdrew the bone, twirling it in his left hand. "I'd like to see you try...O Royal Knirate."

Sue flung the shell passed his shoulder like a dart; it hit the wall and landed appropriately in a glass goblet displaying seashells by the window. "...I say we have a bet." She cracked her knuckles. "You itching for a fight, Link?"

He raised a brow, still twirling the bone. "You seriously think you can beat me with that pot sitting on your head?"

In response, Sue pivoted to the throngs of strangers crowding the tavern at her back. "HEY!" At once everyone glanced her way; she held out a hand. "SOMEONE—Lend me a WEAPON!"

Murmurs circled the crowd of strangers; Aryll squealed like a piglet and shook her friend's elbow. "They're gonna fight! We're gonna see them fight!"

Her friend in the blue hood seemed less enamored. "...is she serious?"

Sue kept her hand held out as the whispers swirled around her until at length—a sword was tossed her way; she caught it with one hand.

As Sue glanced down to inspect the weapon, her eyes doubled in size at the golden hilt embedded with jewels, glistening beneath the light. She spun around; what stranger would dare lend her such an extravagant weapon?!

A busboy leaned in to whisper to her, "...the gentleman in the back insists you borrow it."

Sue stared in the direction of the busboy's nod; a group of hooded men in black cloaks were lounging comfortably around a table spectating in the back; One of them nodded at her.

As she saluted him and spun back around twirling the blade with the pot steady on her head, a round of whistles and cheers started up; Aryll hurried to join the crowd that was gathering around her, but the hooded figure beside her caught her arm, her vivid eyes fixed on the glistening blade. "...she's not gonna fight him with THAT?!"

"It's fine," Aryll whispered, "Sue and big brother used to spar all the time." She pointed a huffy finger at her brother. "...Look at him! You see any worry on that smug mug?"

"...Well, Link?" Sue stood poised across from him, the majestic blade twinkling in her grip.

Link was leaning against the bar, downing a glass of milk; he thumped the empty glass against the counter and turned to Sue, wiping the milk mustache from his nose and grinning with an amusement so large it barely fit in the tavern. He flung the rib bone behind him, where it landed in a stone fountain decorated with bones, coins, and spare rupees by the wall, beneath a skull sign that read **_'HERE LIE THE SALTY BONES OF SORRY FOOLS UNKNOWN.'_ **

Spying a group of Gerudo with various scimitars at their waists, he strolled over to where they idled at the other end of the bar; they glared at him, hands guarding their weapons like lions protecting their cubs—However, he merely strode passed them with a smirk up to a busboy that was busy mopping spilt soup from the floor—and swiftly seized the mop from his hand.

"I'll be borrowing this, thanks." He turned away from the confused staffer back to Sue, who frowned.

"...You're going to fight me with a giant mop?"

"Says the girl sporting a pot on her head."

"Don't insult me!" She pointed the tip straight at him, eyes narrowed. "You think the pot is some kind of handicap? Fight me seriously!"

Link grinned in response and—in one suave motion—somersaulted backwards onto the head of a beaten chair; it creaked beneath his weight as he rocked it to the side and smashed the mop against the glass of the nearest swinging lantern; once exposed, the flame greedily devoured the head of the mop, transforming it instantly into a blazing torch head that provoked gasps all over the tavern.

The sparks of the flame flew across the room and past his face as he coolly replied, "...Is that _serious_ enough for you?"

Sue matched his grin with a placid one of her own. "...Now _that's_ more like it." She slithered forward, swiveling her agile wrist. "...It's been a year since we've last sparred. Let's see who's fallen out of shape now, shall we?"

By now, the two poised with their weapons across from each other—the girl with vase and sword in balance, and the boy with the flaming mop, had drawn much of the attention of the tavern, and the crowd around them was multiplying with cheers, shouts and whoops.

The fervor was rising; the flame on the mop was crackling and glowing; Above Aryll's head, the words **_"Fight! Fight! Fight!"_ ** echoed; Strangers were jostling their way passed Aryll, who hooked elbows with her friend and squeezed her way back to the front.

The hooded girl by her side glanced up at a group of Gorons toasting their dripping steins to the girl with the vase. "...Ary, this _really_ doesn't look good!" Her brows furrowed back at their flashing weapons. "...What if they get seriously injured?"

"Oh, they won't go that far..." Aryll whispered back. Then she leapt up on a chair and joined in the whoops. "GO SUE! KNOCK HIM DEAD!"

"GO LITTLE HYLIANS!" the Goron next to her howled.

"Let's have some bets!" One man shouted to his crew.

"...bet the fair young vai slices the insolent brat with the mop in two," smirked the trio of Gerudo, chinking their drinks together. "Even with the flame, his weapon is mere wood."

"...bet the lad roasts the chick with the pot," drawled one Rito glowering at the Gerudo, and flashing his wings, "...movement trumps weapon advantage."

As if Link heard them, he leapt onto the table and—at breakneck speed—smashed the half-broken lantern across the room at the Gerudo using his mop as a bat; they swatted it aside barely an inch from their noses.

"...my _bad,_ " he sneered at them, twirling the mop. "...I'm just getting warmed up."

He hopped on the back of an unsteady seat; The wood creaked beneath his boots as he stepped from the head of one rickety chair to another like he were on a casual stroll through the park, tossing and catching the mop to the sound of whistles and hoots beneath him on either side.

Aryll huffed at her brother, listening to the roars of the crowd as he leapt for a swinging lantern and caught it with his free hand. As he swung from it like a vine, flaunting the sparkling inferno a little too close for comfort in the faces of the crowd—and as the dilapidated old light fixture sank a foot from the ceiling as if threatening to fall at his every swing, Aryll crouched down on the chair and whispered to her hooded friend. "You know what?! He goes on and on about dangerous foreigners coming by this place...when really he's the most dangerous maniac in here!"

The figure in the hood shook her head. "...I've got to stop this Ary, before things go too far!" She moved as if to pull down her hood but Aryll grasped her hand. "—NO Mar, they'll make us _leave!_ Don't you want to hear more stories of Knirates?"

"—but—"

"...they'll be fine! Let's just watch for a bit longer!"

_SLAM._

A sudden thump sent a vibration through the floor; Aryll shrieked as she lost her balance and toppled backwards off the chair; a crowd of foreign hands reached up to catch her, but a familiar arm swooped in and caught her first. She glowered into the sharp eyes of her brother and yanked at his arm securing her against his chest as together their feet alighted upon the ground.

As she wrenched herself from his grip, the flaming mop caught her eye like a blazing star, soaring freely overhead after Link had tossed it up to catch her; struck with the sudden inspiration to seize it herself, Aryll dove onto a barrel, stood on her tippy-toes and outstretched her palm to claim it—but Link somersaulted over her and snatched it back first.

She fumed at his spry legs as they thudded into a crouch upon the floor; As her own unsteady feet skidded off the barrel, she watched his straighten up smooth as a fiddle and wished for a moment they'd sink straight through the ground.

He spun towards her, the sparks flying passed his eyes as they locked on her with a command. _...Stay BACK Ary._

Aryll stared back with her own spark of defiance. Slowly, she backed into the surrounding throng, the heads of tall, laughing strangers casting shadows over her wild eyes and closing in like a forest of trees.

Link's eyes flashed at her. _...not TOO far back!_ His eyes narrowed. _Don't you DARE leave my sight._

She wiggled her brows—and ducked behind a gaggle of sailors chewing on hyoi pears.

"...ARY!" Link snarled into the crowd. "YOU—"

A flaming candle suddenly came jetting at his head; he dodged aside and watched it blast into the eye socket of the skull fountain by the wall.

"...eyes on your _opponent,_ Link." A familiar voice hummed at his back.

Link spun towards the cheers on the other side of the tavern; Sue-Belle had her own warm-up show going on a wooden railing dividing the upper part of the room; her legs sliced the air in no-handed cartwheels back and forth over the stairs, while one hand steadily tossed and caught the vase between each flip using the tip of her sword—this while dodging the random junk being tossed her way. Aryll had popped her head back out like a groundhog, watching her cousin's hair fly to the whistles and claps and drumming of feet as candles and pears and flowers and half-eaten bones flew at her every which way; Exhilarated by the vibrant glow surrounding Sue who seemed to move like she had wings, she clambered onto the banister herself and skated along the wood, trying to catch bits of the airborne potpourri.

Link's eye was targeting Aryll the instant she reappeared. He watched as her wobbly feet leapt and caught a Hyoi Pear while tottering on the creaking banister. His eyes narrowed. "...oy Sue...about that _bet_ you mentioned."

Sue cartwheeled off the railing and caught the pot with her back foot. "...yes, _about_ that bet." She kicked the pot into her hands and set it back on her head, smiling over at Aryll. "If I win..."

Aryll was in the midst of leaping off the rail to catch a candle midair—but Sue was in front of her in an instant, knocking aside the flaming candle and catching Aryll's belly with her arm. Aryll frowned as the candle rocketed into the second eye socket of the skull fountain.

Sue released her gently and twirled towards Link, the vase pirouetting on her head. "...you should acknowledge I've got the skills to protect—"

"—protect Ary?" Link glanced at Aryll, who glowered and bit into her pear.

Sue grinned and patted her lightly on the shoulder. "...yes—and trust that she's safe when she's out with me—stop throwing a _fit_ when she leaves your sight for five minutes."

Link narrowed his eyes at Aryll.

Aryll tried to shield her face with the pear, feeling his eyes prickle at her as she scurried over to rejoin her hooded friend. She leaned over to whisper, "...has it occurred to anyone that maybe I don't need to be watched?" She chewed her hyoi pear in unison with the tall sailors standing behind her.

Link glanced back at Sue with a scoff. "...fine. But if _I_ win...?" he spun the mop and pointed it straight at Aryll and at Sue. "Then you...AND you...and..." he pointed the mop at the hooded figure beside Aryll; she flinched. "... _you_ as well! The _three_ of you ALL admit it's too dangerous to be in this tavern and promise to stop setting foot in here."

"NO!" Aryll shrieked, clutching her pear. "DON'T LET HIM WIN, SUE!"

Sue narrowed her eyes in response. "Oh, but of course, it's not too dangerous for _you_ to be here, cousin."

He leaned on his hip. "...There's a difference between you three, and me."

"Oh, _definitely._ " Sue growled, advancing a step. " _One_ of us needs to be taught a lesson in underestimating the abilities of others."

"Is that so?" He prowled forward, the burning mop reflecting in his eyes, "Let's see you prove it."

The hooded figure beside Aryll shook her head as the whoops of the surrounding crowd rocked the tavern. "...sorry Ary, I've got to stop them!" but just as she was about to dart forward between the two brawlers—and as the two lunged at each other—two muscly women arms lashed out at the last second and caught them both by the collar. The vase nearly flew off Sue's head but she caught it just before a voice rang shrilly in her ear. "WHAT in the name of NAYRU d'you two think yer DOIN'?"

The tavern went quiet at once.

Gillian stood over them with her shock of blonde hair, the veins throbbing from her face as she dangled them both by their collars, glaring down like a dragon awoken rudely from its slumber.

"...Quick brawl." Link met her stare with an impish grin, hanging with his fiery accessory.

Gillian's bloodshot eye fixed on him. "Not in here yer not! Yeh wanna fight, yeh fight outside! NO FIGHTS IN MY BAR!" She pried the mop out of his hand, and—observing the flaming head of it—pierced him with a glare like a butcher's knife, the fire burning in her eyes.

He scowled. "It was a cruddy mop anyway, I was doing you a favor. Probably would've broken after two hits—"

She whacked him with the mop (OW!) and then dropped him to the floor; (OW!) He winced. ("I bet Gill would break him in two hits," Aryll whispered to her hooded companion.)

Gillian thrust the flaming mop into the hands of some poor busboy behind her to deal with, her voice raspy as a bulblin's. "...I leave for TEN MINUTES and what do I find when I get back?! My tavern on the verge of IMPLOSION!"

She glared out at the surrounding crowd observing in silence. "...and WHAT'RE YEH ALL LOOKING AT?! GET BACK TO YER TABLES!" They scattered at once like students hurrying to their seats in the face of an irritable professor.

Sue cleared her throat, still dangling from Gillian's other arm, and Gill turned to give her the brunt of her glare next.

"Sue—Belle." she growled. "I expected better from yeh...junior Knirate."

Sue clutched the pot to her chest and turned to glower at the boy who was rubbing his butt from the fall. "...sorry Gill, but he was asking for it!"

Gill dropped Sue with a thud and turned her attention back on the boy who'd been slinking away.

"LINK!" she barked.

He flinched.

Aryll had to cover her mouth to keep from snickering too loudly.

Gillian crossed her muscled arms. "...YER paying for the mop, AND EVERYTHING on the FLOOR of my tavern that SHOULDN'T BE THERE..." her foot stomped the floor, which was littered with fallen dishes, fruit cores, spilt glasses, broken candles, fallen vases, meaty bones and other junk.

Link kicked a bitten pear towards her. "...but—half this junk wasn't even my doing!"

Her glare didn't waver. "...AND I expect new candles, AND a new FOUNTAINHEAD...!" She thrust a quivering finger across the room at the fountain with the skull head, which was melting from the candles burning into its eye-sockets.

Link pursed his lip. "...why am only _I_ being blamed...?" he muttered to himself.

"...AND the LANTERN yeh broke, AND the FOOD yeh DIDN'T pay for...!" Her finger moved to the broken lantern sitting in the fountain, and the rib bone sitting right next to it.

"...it was only _one_ rib..." he murmured with a frown.

"...AND the ENTIRE table of dishes that Madame Syrup and her guests special ordered last week...."

"...but..." Link rubbed a finger over his lips, "...no one was at the table for so _long_ , and the food was just sitting there, I couldn't let it go to waste..."

"...AND a brand SPANKIN' new table..." she pointed to a capsized wooden table full of deep scuffs like it'd been clawed by a giant kargarok, where a group of sailors had been feasting on a stuffed pig earlier. "...WITH brand SPANKIN' new chairs..." she kicked a half-broken chair he'd been standing on, which collapsed instantly into a pile of wood.

He winced. "...okay, _that_ definitely wasn't my fault..." his voice dropped to a whisper. "... _this_ time around..."

"...AND the chandelier from two weeks ago, AND the hole in the wall..." She nodded off to the left, where the wall appeared to have been smashed in by a high-speed boulder.

Link raked a hand through his hair. "But... that Goron _dared_ me to throw him, saying I wouldn't be able to do it! You should've made HIM pay for it!"

"...AND...THAT!" she pointed upwards, to where twenty or so daggers were sitting parallel, wedged immovably into the ceiling.

Link twisted a strand of his sideburns around his thumb. "Those pirates were ganging up on Ary." His eye shifted to Aryll. "How else was I to dispose of their weapons? Or would you rather I have broken the window throwing them out?"

"For the last time," Aryll snapped from the side of the room, "they were NOT pirates, and they were not ganging up! They were sailors from Labrynna and they were in the middle of re-enacting one of their battles for me when you decided to come barreling in!"

"I don't care WHAT the reason is!" Gillian barked. "And that's not all of it! Don't think I've forgotten the other times that yeh..."

The little figure in the blue hood beside Aryll was turning paler and paler as the list went on; she whispered to Aryll. "Has...he really caused that much trouble?"

Aryll rolled her eyes. "Just be glad you don't have to live with him, Mar."

"...in fact, YER not allowed to step ONE FOOT in here anymore until yeh pay me back EVERY RUPEE. YEH HEAR?"

Link opened his mouth to protest but across the room, Sue cackled into a laugh before he could utter a word.

She placed the pot back upon her head and turned to him with a triumphant grin. "...Guess that settles which of us _won't_ be setting foot in here anytime soon, ey cousin?"

He cast her an irate look, but Gillian interrupted by grabbing his collar and yanking him towards the door. "OW!" he winced as the heels of his boots screeched across the wooden floorboards. "I can walk myself!"

"Don't yeh start!"

Aryll sniggered and nudged her friend. "...now he knows how _I_ feel!" She stuck her tongue out and waved him off. "BUH BYE BROTHER!"

Link glowered at her. _...I'll be back for YOU Ary._

The petite figure in her blue hood, however, gazed after him with a face as pale as the plates on the floor. "...Ary, are you sure this is okay? I feel bad for Link..."

"...are you kidding? We're finally free to—"

As if on cue, the rickety door to the tavern swung open just before Gillian reached it, and in flung a young boy with hair indigo as the night sky behind him and a silk white cape fluttering in the moonlight—that plus an arm swung out dramatically before him.

"THE LADY MARIN, ARE YOU IN HERE?" his voice rang out before his eyes could see in front of him.

The figure in the hood beside Aryll gasped at once and lowered her head.

Aryll clicked her tongue."...how'd he track us?" Then she frowned, noticing the black eye and bruises on his face.

"I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING EVERY HOUSE ON THE ISLAND FOR YOU, LADY MARIN, EVEN IN PRIVATE HOMES!"

"...oh." Aryll breathed, as the figure beside her groaned and yanked her hood down lower.

Whispers were circling at the nearby tables. "...isn't that Prince Richard?"

"...nah, can't be. Just some goofy kid."

"...Prince Richard of Kanalet?"

"...oy, check out that royal getup!"

"...Prince Richard!" Gillian gasped, dropping Link immediately and turning to face him with a smile twice as wide as her face. "...what brings yeh to my humble tavern?! Shall I offer yeh a table?!" She snapped over a waiter at once. "Oy GOSSACK! Bring 'im h'ors d'oeuvres on the double, get a move on!"

Link scoffed at her about-face, rubbing his butt as he stood up.

Richard waved a gloved hand at her. "...nay, nay, tis not necessary fair maiden. I am here merely in search of Our Lady, has anyone seen her?"

Gill crossed her arms. "...Yeh mean _La Sirena,_ The Siren of the Island?" She frowned. "Why would she be here? Wouldn't she be preparing for the Festival about now?" Her mouth stretched back into that toady grin. "Oh...not that she _wouldn't_ be welcome here if she were!"

Richard flicked his cape behind him as he moonwalked in, squinting around the dim tavern. "...pardon me madame, I'll be taking a closer look-see if you don't mind!"

Gillian's grin shimmied higher as her hand swept the air in front of him. "Oh, not at all, not at all...!" Her smile melted to a cringe as Richard's elegant white boot sloshed into a puddle of soup. "...apologies for the mess, it's not usually like this." She glared at Link as she snatched a soup ladle off the floor. "OY, GARRICKSON!" she waved the ladle at a mustached man. "Git this floor cleaned up pronto!"

As the busboys scrambled like agitated cuccos to gather the litter off the floors, Richard sauntered his way around the tables, his eye travelling in a squint from the men chewing T-bone steaks like moblins, to the Rito shaking out fishbones from their wings, to the Gorons rocking on their stools, to the Gerudo leaning by the bar, who watched him with an assortment of raised brows.

He stroked his chin and approached a table of sailors fighting over slices of voltfruit pie. "...pardon me fellows, happenstance have any of you come across any lassies that seemed otherworldly, almost divine?"

One man thumped down his stein, an eye throbbing from its socket. "...talkin' 'bout me WIFE?!"

Richard held up a gloved hand. "...nay nay sir, I mean a much younger lass..."

The man was cracking his knuckles. "...callin' me wife OLD?!"

Richard sighed, flicked his cape and glided to another table.

"...beg pardon..." he addressed a group of Hylian girls, lounging around a table eating chocolate fruit cake in flashy bird costumes. "...have you seen any _exceptionally_ beautiful girls?"

They giggled, glanced at one another and flicked their hair; before they could stop chewing long enough to flirt, an elderly woman flung herself into his face, her skin sagging off her bones, and more wrinkles in her widened cheeks than there was sand to be found at the beach. "...you're looking at one, sweetie!" she rasped through her rancid teeth, puckering her lips.

Richard cracked a strained grin as his feet backed away.

Leaning by the door, Link watched him with a smirk. His eye flicked to Aryll and the figure next to her as they huddled behind Sue with their azure hoods tugged down. Tapping his widened lips, he picked a drumstick off the floor, sat back on a barrel, and snacked on the thigh like popcorn as he watched the show unfold.

Richard's cape was dragging over a railing as he approached a Zoran couple; he tapped the headfin of the taller one. "...a thousand pardons, do you recall seeing any girls resembling mermaids with beautiful voices, singing out by the lagoon?"

"...u-um..."the Zora had paled from the look he was getting from the female zora next to him. "...n-no..." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "...e-except this one right here!"

Richard withdrew with a frown.

"...pray tell, sighted any Hylian girls flying in the sky tonight, by chance?" He leaned towards a Rito sitting at the fountain.

"...not unless they were shot out of a cannon," he drawled, flicking a radish from his feathers.

"...perhaps you've rolled into an avid young seashell collector at the beach lately?" He thumped one Goron on the back.

"...I only roll into boulders," the Goron growled crossing his arms.

"...you haven't seen any...redheads around, have you?" He stared up at a Gerudo, tapping the sword at his waist.

They smirked at one another. "...certainly not, but we have seen more than enough buffoons tonight to make up for it."

He shook his head. "...Ah, my condolences ladies, buffoons can be quite the nightmare." He patted their wrists in pity before ambling off.

Sue's table was approaching him next; Aryll held her breath and shrank behind Sue, pulling her companion with her. By the door, Link was eying them closely as he sat on the barrel, gnawing the drumstick.

As Richard approached their table, a frog suddenly climbed onto his head—Aryll had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing; she glanced over to see her friend's eyebrows had gone way up, and leaned in to whisper, "...maybe we shouldn't have ditched him at the frog pond?"

Richard's scan had slowed on Aryll, and he was squinting at her with great concentration like he were trying to levitate her with his mind; The two figures held their breath, watching the frog croak on his head.

"...I have found..." He tapped a finger to his chin, shifting his probing gaze between the two hooded girls. "...that she isn't here. I'm sorry to have disturbed all you fine folk, adieu!" And with that he turned to leave, the frog still perched upon his head.

Aryll's jaw dropped; even the figure beside her looked disappointed. "...He must be the worst bodyguard across the Great Sea!" Aryll whispered to her.

The figure beside her frowned. "Father does sometimes confuse money with competence." Her expression softened. "...but still, I think Richard is..."

"W-wait yer highness!" Gillian hustled after him. "Please stay and allow me to serve yeh dinner! We have all manner of the freshest, _finest_ seafood here—lobster, prawn, crab, shellfish, snail, what would yeh like?!" She spun around and barked at a waiter. "GOSSACK! GOSSACK! WHERE'S THE HORS D'OEURVRES?!"

A man hurried to the doorway carrying a platter of fried calamari, stumbling over every fallen steak knife littering the floor along the way.

Richard turned back with a hearty smile at Gill, only to wave away the platter. "...Why thank you for the well wishes, fair woman, but I must be on my way..." The rickety wooden door swung behind him as he sashayed out...

—Only for him to burst back in a moment later and stare in Gill's direction as if noticing something for the first time; his gaze alighted on Link whom hopped off the barrel behind Gill and tossed the barren drumstick back to the floor.

Richard cracked a grin. "...why, if it isn't my good pal Link! Didn't see you there, mate!" He sauntered over and tossed an arm around Link's shoulder. "What brings you here this fine festival evening?"

Link's mouth tugged into a smirk, and his eye flicked to Gillian as he swung an exaggerated arm over Richard's shoulder. "...oy, _friend!_ Unfortunate of you to come by _this_ nasty tavern. I should warn you, they abuse their customers at this shoddy hole in the wall—wouldn't want you to suffer _my_ experience... Just now, I couldn't even dine in peace without being repeatedly insulted, threatened, beaten over the head and kicked out like trash!"

Richard frowned at Gillian. "...what ruffians have been harassing my buddy Link! I'll have them apprehended at once!" He clapped his hands; outside the door at his back, a legion of guards could be glimpsed getting into formation, flashing their swords.

A wave of tension shook the tavern at once; weapons were unsheathed amidst hostile murmurs; the Gerudo withdrew their scimitars; the Gorons furled their fists; Aryll squawked like her toes had been stepped on and ducked her head lower, exchanging a nervous glance with her friend.

Gillian's quivering hand dropped the soup ladle, her face turning pale as the skull fountain on the wall. She sputtered at Richard, "...nonsense, that's utter nonsense, this is a perfectly reputable establishment, we treat our customers rightly!"

Link was leaning against the doorway, stroking his hair with a dangerous gleam in his eye. "...I seem to remember being hit with a mop, dragged to the door and threateningly told not to come back?"

"...yeh...must be remembering wrong." Gillian gnarled through grit teeth.

"... _oh,_ you mean I can _stay?"_ He plucked a calamari off the plate being offered to Richard and swallowed it whole.

Gillian was glaring at him. "Yeh can STAY."

Link chuckled and nodded to Richard. "...it's all good."

Richard clapped his hands; the battalion outside the swinging door dispersed into idle chitchat; the strangers inside the tavern sheathed their weapons and settled back in their chairs.

As Link stepped in closer, his smirk morphed to a glare at Aryll. _You...are so dead._

She flinched and ducked behind Sue. "...not good!" Aryll whispered to her friend. "...they're _coming_ for us!"

"More importantly Link, mate..." Richard tapped his shoulder as he wolfed down another calamari..."...Have YOU seen The Lady Marin?!"

Link paused, his eye travelled to the hooded figure beside Aryll, who lowered her head. Aryll glowered at him and stepped in front of her.

"...nope..." Link drawled finally, "...haven't seen her...face."

The hooded figure exhaled; Aryll's jaw dropped.

"...I can't believe it!" she whispered to her friend. "He busts _me_ for the littlest things, but covers for _you?! SO_ unfair!"

Richard was starting to pace around the entrance restless as a fish out of water, the frog still perched on his head. "...it _can't_ be...even YOU haven't seen her? You were my last hope, Link..." He raked a glove through his indigo hair. "...oh, this is no good...no good at all! Oh where are you Lady Marin?! Oh no no no no no..." His pace was getting more frantic with each pivot. "...what if they're right and you really HAVE been kidnapped?!"

The words had hardly left his lips before a wave of newfound gossip rocked the tavern; Aryll craned her ears towards the whispers at the nearby tables.

"...La _Sirena_ is missing?"

"...The Siren's been kidnapped!"

"...she must've been taken by pirates!"

"...What about the Festival?"

"...it's a disaster, the Festival can't go on without her song!"

Richard slammed his palm against the wall. "...I fear we have no choice. The festival must be suspended, it CANNOT go on...WILL NOT go on without OUR LADY!" He thrust his head outside the door at his back. "ATTENTION! Call BACK the personnel at the festival grounds and REDOUBLE the SEARCH around the ISLAND! Until Our Lady is found...I hereby declare ALL festivities must be CANCELLED!"

Aryll and the figure beside her exchanged panicked looks like birds caught in a cyclone; around them, the tavern was booming with complaints.

"...cancel the festival?!"

"...NO, they can't!"

"...but I travelled all the way from Holodrum just to catch this festival!"

"...you think that's far?! I'm here from _Hytopia!"_

The girl in the azure hood shook her head. "...I'm sorry Ary, I can't do this anymore!"

Before Aryll could react, she ripped down her hood and stepped forward into the light.

"RICHARD!" Her voice rang out crystal clear as the sea on a cloudless day, silencing the tavern at once.

Richard whirled at the sound of his name.

"THERE'S A FROG ON YOUR HEAD!"

At her appearance, Richard's face broke into a smile brilliant as the noonday sun. "Oh, LADY MARIN! YOU'RE—!" He frowned. "...What's this you say about a frog...?"

As Richard tried to feel around his head for the frog (which pounced down to his shoulder), an ardent hush fell over the crowd.

"It's her...!"

"The _Siren of the Island_ , in the flesh...?"

"What's she doing here...?"

"She wasn't kidnapped after all!"

"What a relief, the festival won't be cancelled!"

_"Unreal_...She's even more stunning in person than they say..."

The tavern was humming with enthrall as Marin stood perfectly still, her ruby hair flaming beneath the lantern light. As Aryll gazed at her best friend's back from the shadows mere paces away, for a moment she felt at an interminable distance. She gazed down at her scrawny fingers, skinny as the meatless bones on the floor; her shoes—scruffy sandals worn from chasing seagulls along the beach over the years; she brushed a finger through the frizzy split ends of her sandy blonde hair. How come, when everyone else seemed so amazing, was she so ordinary? She suddenly felt alone in the colorful, bustling tavern—lost beneath all the vibrancy that swirled overhead: from the mysterious foreigners and jaunty sailors that hailed from unknown lands, to the mighty Gorons with their rock-solid muscles, the tall Gerudo with their fit figures, lean arms and gleaming blades, the Zora with their aerodynamic fins, and the Rito with their mighty wings.

Though Marin stood just in front of her, she suddenly felt light years away; Aryll drew down her hood, wanting nothing more in that instant than to bolt from the tavern, grow wings as wide as the Rito, and fly to the other end of the sea.

"OH....my LADY, yeh've been HERE all along?!" Gillian gasped at the girl radiating beneath the light—and spun to glare at Link. "I hope yeh didn't suffer through having to witness any unsightly debacles earlier, I assure yeh I do not allow such shenanigans at my tavern to go unpunished."

"Ms. Gillian," Marin curtsied gently. "Your tavern has a quaint charm, and I assure you that I suffered in no such way. In fact, coming here has been a delight for me."

"Well!" Gillian leaned back with a humored grin, hands on her hips. "I'm mighty pleased to hear that!" ( _'Would yeh look at that she likes my tavern!'_ she murmured beneath her breath.) "...Ye're most welcome to come here whenever ye'd like, My Lady! Next time I'll make sure yeh get VIP seating!" Her glare shifted to Link again. "And if anyone starts bothering yeh, yeh come straight to me and I'll take care of 'em for yeh, a'right?"

Richard jumped in front of Marin, still trying to catch the frog that was leaping around his shoulders. "THAT—is not necessary, woman, for that solemn duty to protect Our Lady from all manners of threats falls squarely upon my shoulders."

Marin stepped passed Richard with a sigh, gliding towards Gillian like a swan. "...regarding the damages to your tavern..." she bowed, "...Please...Come to my father's villa later, and I shall have all of them paid for in Link's stead. So..." her gentle eyes glided to Link. "...please forgive him of any wrongdoings and release him of his debts."

Gillian stared at her with gratitude pouring from her eyes. "Oh my Lady praise yeh...yer so generous!"

Above Aryll's head, the whispers of admiration were intensifying; Aryll shrank deeper into her hood.

"...see that, not just looks, she's charitable too!"

"What an angel!"

"Praise Our Lady!"

"All Hail La Sirena, Beautiful and Kind!"

The shouts and whistles echoed across the room for "La Sirena!"

Gill fixed her glare back on Link.

"Yeh had BETTER be thankful for Our Lady's GENEROSITY."

Link was silent, but the appreciation in his gaze at Marin was unmistakable.

Marin glided towards the door. "...Come, let us go Richard." As she was turning to leave, she cast Aryll an apologetic smile. _Sorry...I couldn't stay longer!_

The gentle melancholy in her eyes filled Aryll with a sudden guilt at her fleeting envy.

"Fare thee well, fine fellows!" Richard tutted behind him, waving the frog he'd finally caught. "We hope to behold all your wonderful faces again at the festival grounds shortly!"

"...wait!" Aryll called suddenly, dashing after Marin through the door. "...Mar, wait!"

She caught up to Marin just outside the tavern; Marin spun around, her flaming hair gleaming beneath the moonlight; behind her, Richard and the guard stood waiting. Aryll bit her lip and glanced from them back to her.

"...I'm sorry Mar," she whispered, "I know how much you wanted to enjoy the festival without..." she nodded to the guard.

Marin leaned in. "...it's ok..." she whispered back, "...I'm happy I got to spend a few hours out!" She smiled, the festival lights illuminating her eyes. "Sue-Belle's stories about the Knirates were just as wondrous as you said they'd be...it was well worth it!" She shook her head, turning to gaze at a passing band of musicians. "Besides...it was about time for me to go anyway. They can't officially open the festival without _The Siren's Ballad."_ She stared up for a moment at a flock of passing seagulls overhead; Aryll gazed up with her, and for a moment, the two watched in a mutual sense of longing as the white wings of the seagulls soared free above them off towards the open sea.

They stood with clasped hands, the cool breeze softly billowing their hair. Marin leaned in, whispering so Richard wouldn't hear. "...you'll still meet me later right? Where we agreed?"

Aryll nodded profusely at her.

"Don't forget!" she waved behind her as she twirled towards Richard.

For a minute, Aryll stood in the doorway, marveling at how the people moved silently aside and the bustling street opened up just for her, as if she strode with an undeniable force.

She sighed.

Then she turned around—and froze.

A familiar figure stood over her.

Crossed arms; deep scowl; scalding blue eyes; green hat.

She gulped.

"...hello, Ary." Link growled.

★ ★ ★

* * *

**Author's Note:**

This story, _The Seagull Saga,_ is best described as a mash of _The Wind Waker + Link's Awakening_ , + a dash of _Oracle of Seasons/Ages_ \+ characters from every game. I remember at one point I had the realization that Aryll and Marin were both thematically linked to seagulls and the moment I realized that, I couldn't unsee the connection between them and slowly this story started to form.

In case it isn't clear, the main character of _The Seagull Saga_ is Aryll, NOT Link. In the first chapter, she's kind of in the back seat and the narration is a bit removed from her, but come a few chapters in and the narrative is gonna shift deeper into her perspective so it will become apparent she's the main character.

Link still has a prominent role although he isn't the lead. Personally, I love to write him as a double-edged character when he's not protagonist. In this story, he's kind of a wild card that can shift between friend or foe depending on the circumstances. You should see him evolve a lot!

(*Just a quick side note, this might seem like a minor detail but in case this was on somebody's mind—Sue's Hydromelon Slushie and Link's milk aren't alcoholic. I don't want anyone to misunderstand and think I'm promoting underage drinking or something like that so just wanted to clarify it's not intended that way.)

Also, in case anyone is wondering, both Richard and Marin are from _Link's Awakening,_ Gillian owned the Cafe Bar on Windfall Island, and Sue-Belle was Aryll and Link's neighbor in _The Wind Waker_ (she really did carry a pot on her head, it's totally canon!) I made them cousins in this story, because Orca (the guy who teaches Link hurricane spin and how to use a sword) is treated as Link's "grandpa" figure in the game (I think even in some regional versions of the game, Link refers to him as "grandpa"). Orca is actually Sue-Belle's great-uncle in the game, so it's like they're both distant relations of Orca, and I figured it makes sense for them to be "cousins" on some level. Sue-Belle didn't have glasses in _The Wind Waker_ but I picture her with them because of how bookish her grandpa Sturgeon was in the game. Between her bookish grandpa, and her knightly great-uncle, I imagine she'd be both studious and adroit with a sword, so I aimed to make her a combination of the two.

A note on the setting—Aryll and Link are living on Koholint Island here, but this Koholint is not the same as the one from Link's Awakening—this Koholint is 100% real, but exists a bit outside Hyrule, which is comprised of a series of islands. It's summer, and Koholint is a popular vacation destination for tourists.

As for the story, once I had the Seagulls theme in mind, I knew this story HAD to take place on the water, and HAD to be about pirates! I think one of my favorites parts of _The Wind Waker_ is when Link ends up on Tetra's ship as "the lowest rung" (to quote Niko). I always felt like there was a missed story there had Link stayed on the ship longer and developed deeper ties with all the pirates, and I felt the same for Aryll when later in the game she ends up on the pirate ship, so I'm definitely interested in exploring a story along those lines in _The Seagull Saga_.

I actually had the idea for this story years ago, but it's been on the back burner for a long time. Definitely part of the inspiration for it also came from another story I've been working on (which is also published on here) _The Impetuous Escapades of An Academy's Most Questionable Knights_. I realized from working on that story (which also features Aryll as the main character but with a very different personality) that I wanted to try exploring the conflict between Aryll and Link in a different way and to a deeper level (although to be honest both stories are meant to explore it from different angles), which is why there are some similarities between the two stories. Initially I hadn't been planning to start publishing this story for a long time, but I happen to be going through a kind of rut with Impetuous Escapades, so this story has been a refreshing change of pace! At least until I get over my current rut with Impetuous Escapades, I'm more likely to default to this one. Although, I'm not sure how often I'll publish chapters for this story because I plan to start focusing on writing completely original fiction soon.

About the LORE. Hopefully it's fairly clear that Knirates are meant to contrast Pirates like yin and yang on the seas, and that knirates are similar to sea knights (the word knirate is meant to be a fusion of knight + pirate). There's quite a bit of lore I dumped into this first chapter regarding Knirates vs Pirates, and Naquaris and Namulets which all becomes important later, so hopefully I didn't overwhelm anyone with it. At least a lot of the world setting has been established early on and should give you a good image of Hyrule going forward. This chapter also has a ton of foreshadowing for future events to come too!

I have a lot in mind for this story going forward, but I'm not sure when I'll be able to devote the time to writing the many chapters I envision. I thought I'd post this first chapter for now and at least see how it fares. My hope is it was enjoyable for you to read if you're here! Please don't be shy and drop a comment if you're interested in reading more of this story, I'd love to hear from you : )

/~/ Farosie


End file.
